(no subject)

[x-daredevil.livejournal.com]

Sunday, Matt tries to have a conversation with Korvus again. It goes badly, again.



Leaning in the door of the garage, Matt listened for a moment before getting his bearings on where Korvus was in the large space. Making his way carefully, he tripped over something on the floor as he got closer to his suite mate, "Korvus!" he yelped, stumbling and trying to catch himself.

Korvus pushed himself out from under the striped down Impala. "Matt, is there something urgent I can assist with?" He asked as he stood up off the board and moved toward his unsteady friend.

"The hell is on the floor?" he asked, clearing the way with his cane. His control of his powers was developing well enough in his opinion...and then something like this happened. So long as the floor was clear he was able to get along without his cane, but that was not always a guarantee.

"Parts. I am assisting Wade in restoring a Chevy Impala." Korvus lifted parts out of the way for Matt, assuming he had an idea of where the car was and was taking a direct route.

The car showed up on his radar without problem. Then again, it was also big. That helped. Sound tended to be centered around the middle of things or at head-level, so that was what showed up the best for him. Small things down by his feet....not so much. "Ah. This gonna be the one for me to drive?" he asked, taking a seat on the ground, checking it with his feet first to make sure it was clear before he sat.

Korvus sat back down on the board as Matt took the floor. "I did not anticipate company."

That did not answer his question. "Surprise," he didn't hang with his suite mates and sometimes Matt thought that was a problem. Other times, he preferred it. "I don't know much about cars to help though. I can try, if you want."

"If you are familiar with sockets and wrenches, handing them to me while I am under the vehicle would be a substantial help." Korvus observed.

"I'm not..." Matt trailed off, folding his cane up and securing it with the cord before setting it next to his leg. He knew a screwdriver from a hammer! "Which one is which?"

"It is a standard set, sockets in the lower clasps, wrenches in the upper." Korvus pushed the set up against Matt's leg after orienting it. "It is sorted smallest at the top left."

Running his hand over them, Matt easily could tell the difference between wrenches and sockets and their sizes. There were even little raised numbers on the case so he could read the sizes. Convenient. "Okay, I can do that," he agreed. "So...an Impala. What kind of car is that?" he had no idea about cars either. Growing up in New York, his father had never had one and now he was blind so it mattered even less. He was trying to get to know his roommate though.

"A classic American 'Muscle Car.' This one if from nineteen sixty-seven." Korvus gave the information as he laid back and pushed himself under the car.

"Old..." Matt sort of wanted to see it, but he didn't move, partially because he did not want to risk tripping again, but also because he was supposed to be helping. "So...what are you doing with it then? I mean, you're fixing it, but...why? Are you going to race it or just drive it or what?" he was trying here, but he got the distinct impression that Korvus was not interested in this conversation.

"Wade wanted it. I did not question why. I used to labor in a machine shop and, after assisting him with a classic Volkswagen Beetle, he requested my assistance in this project." Korvus could be heard ratcheting some bolts as they spoke. "I believe he uses it as pretense to spend time with me and I enjoy having a friend and a task to keep me occupied while I assimilate into American culture."

"Oh. Well tell him I want to learn to drive it," he was going to persist in getting Wade to teach him to drive. Matt knew his limitations, even with his powers, but that did not mean that he couldn't learn even if he couldn't get a license. "Or you could teach me. I want to learn to drive."

"I am not licensed to drive. We may have to ask Wade to teach us both, assuming one doesn't have to be a licensed instructor." Korvus finished his current series of ratcheting and rolled the socket out. "One inch socket, please."

"Wait..." Matt cocked his head to one side, hand moving over the case until the found what was requested and handed it over, "You don't have a license or you don't know how to drive? Those are two different things..." He could never get a license, but that did not mean he couldn't learn to drive.

"Either. Driving isn't as necessary in some other parts of the world." Korvus resumed his work with the new socket. "I am familiar with the function of an automobile and the theory of driving one but I have never been officially instructed."

Well, Matt was aware of that. New York City was possibly the worst place to have a car,. "Well, you don't have to have a car to have a license and know how to drive," Matt pointed out. "I can't get a license, but I want to learn anyways and my dad had one, but he never had a car that I can remember. I don't remember him ever driving or needing to drive. I guess he learned at some point though."

"If Wade is willing to drive a car I altered across the lake, I expect he will be willing to teach us how to drive." Korvus said with a laugh as he continued his work.

"That just means you're a good mechanic," Matt harumphed. "Wade says he won't teach me until there's an extra brake for him. I don't think he trusts me."

"If we have established I am a good mechanic, you should request that I install an extended brake system into a suitable vehicle." Korvus offered helpfully.

Hadn't he just done that? Well, not directly perhaps, but then, Matt had learned that if he didn't ask for things he couldn't be disappointed when he didn't get them. "No, we established that Wade is crazy and he thinks you are a good enough mechanic. I'm still not convinced...even if you know the difference between a socket and a wrench." Okay, so now he was just being difficult. At the very least, Korvus was better than him at this stuff, though that was not saying much necessarily. Trying to have a conversation with Korvus gave him a headache. Or maybe that was the smell of gasoline and oil.

"As you prefer." Korvus consented easily. "I will remind Wade that we need a vehicle modified and that it will have to be taken to a professional mechanic."

"So...what are you doing to the Impala now?" he asked. He was trying, but he was close to giving up.

"I am stripping it down to the frame so that we can inspect every part, keep those that are functional, rebuild those that are structurally sound, and replace those which are not serviceable." Korvus pressed up on the floorboard, the weld popping as the bolts continued to be removed. "It will soon be an Automobile of Theseus."

"Theseus?" the reference went over Matt's head.

"An Ancient Greek Captain. Plutarch recorded his exploits and, after having all the wooden parts of the ship replaced, the Athenian Philosophers became divided over the inquiry as to if it was still the same vessel." Korvus pressed harder on the floorboard, pushing it up into the cabin.

"Was it still a ship?" Matt asked. That sounded vaguely interesting. "I mean, he didn't replace the parts and turn it into a wagon or something, right?"

"It was still a ship." Korvus confirmed as he began to unbolt the other half of the floor pan. "And of the same design."

"Then it's the same," that seemed obvious in his mind, "I mean, unless you can tell a difference somehow, then it's the same. Why were they arguing over this? It seems pretty clear to me. Don't they have something better to do? Or someone?" Matt joked.

"So sure." Korvus said with a laugh as he pressed on the half of the floorboard still in place, making the weld creak. He let the conversation continue, instead of talking more about philosophy. "I hope it is not the case that intimacy stifles philosophical inquiry."

"Well, most people aren't really questioning the meaning of life, the universe and everything while getting jiggy with it," Matt pointed out. Not in his oh-so-limited experience.

"That would explain Plato's view on romance." Korvus offered as he pressed the second half of the floorboard up into the cabin before sliding out from under the Impala. "That was my final task for today."

"Do you ever talk about like...normal stuff?" Matt finally asked, fed up. "You're weird, which is not only saying a lot around here, but coming from me. And you have no idea how to have a conversation, even with your crazy dictionary vocabulary."

"I try to avoid normative statements." Korvus began to work the floorboards out through the passenger door from inside the cabin. It was more a problem of angles than strength. "What topic would you prefer we talk about?"

"I don't know, anything!" Matt sighed, setting the tools down on the ground and reaching for his cane, even though he wasn't getting up just yet, "I'm trying to be nice here. And get to know you. But I've been asking you all these questions about a topic I don't even give a rats ass about because it's something you like and then I tried to move the topic to girls and...nothing. So either you are more socially clueless than I am, which is impressive since I can't read body language, or you don't want to talk to me and are too nice to actually say it," now he stood, unfolding his cane, "So, fine. I get it."

"I was under the impression we were having a conversation. I did not know you had no interest in the topic." Korvus grunted a bit as he twisted one of the floor pans and pulled it from the car as he offered an observation. "If you would have just stated your desire to have a casual conversation about women we would have been much farther along. Are you dating one?"

Blowing air out his mouth, Matt wished his hair was long enough that it might ruffle. That would be easier, "It's called making conversation, Korvus." he explained, trying to find some patience. It was not apparently Korvus' fault that he was an idiot. "You know, I ask questions, you respond with something else on the same topic that indicates interest and it goes from there. If you only answer the question like in school then it looks like you aren't interested," Matt explained. Why was he explaining this anyways? Korvus was supposed to be older and clearly was more intelligent. "And no, I'm not. I've heard you are. And that is an example of showing interest in a conversation so that it continues. If I just said 'no I'm not,' and ended it there, then it shows I'm not interested in the topic. Make sense?" Did this guy not have friends at home or something!?

"That is conversationally different than Hindi but I will adjust." Korvus responded, knowing a nod would not do it. He continued to tug the other half of the floorpan out of the Impala. "Yes, I have attended a couple dates with Meggan. I have been told it is casual."

"And...you're cool with that?" The way Korvus phrased it implied that he wasn't, but was being polite. Matt had never really dated any girl, so he wasn't exactly the best at these relationships. He liked girls though, he knew that. And he had definitely had a crush a time or two, but not too much opportunity to ask a girl out. Or the balls to do it either. Yet.

"Why would I not be?" Korvus listened as he began to stack up the parts he had removed so they could be sorted and rebuilt or recycled.
"Because maybe you don't want it to be casual? Maybe you want to date her exclusively?" Matt asked. Granted, casual was generally better, but he was not about to assume that with Korvus. He got in trouble enough thinking he understood the other guy, "The way you phrased it implied that you were told this and didn't agree."
"I am dating her exclusively." Korvus clearly didn't understand the implications. He was only attempting to relay the facts that other seemed to focus on thoroughly.

What? Letting out a frustrated sigh, Matt shook his head, "You are hopeless. Nevermind. Have fun with your car and with Meggan and just...whatever." Just do it away from him.